


Company and Clouds

by glassesfame



Category: Naruto
Genre: CloudWatching - Freeform, Confiding!Sasuke - Freeform, Fluff, Friendship, Multi, Snippets, Typical!Shikamaru - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-16
Updated: 2017-08-16
Packaged: 2018-12-15 23:46:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11816742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glassesfame/pseuds/glassesfame
Summary: Shikamaru lies on the hilltop, watching the clouds. Sometimes Sasuke joins him.





	Company and Clouds

**Author's Note:**

> Popped into my head. Hope you like it!!! It was lots of fun to type up... thanks for reading ;)

"If I told you I was in love with you, how would you react?" The dark haired boy in his muddled blue shirt and white shorts lay on his back on the gently sloping grass, staring up at the clouds firmly. He didn't dare to look at the boy next to him. The sky was blue, as blue as the eyes he was probably thinking about.

What a pain, the boy next to him mused, shading his eyes with his hands, squinting upwards. Sasuke stiffened as he began to drawl, "First, you wouldn't be saying that to me. Second, if you told Naruto you were in love with him, he probably won't believe you." 

"Hm." The Uchiha huffed, not meeting the black gaze that bore into his side. It knew far too much for his liking. The clouds drifted over the sun for a second. They were in the suddenly in the shade and Sasuke shivered.

"Love is troublesome." The other boy ran a hand through his spiky ponytail, turning back to the clouds. He felt awkward and oddly privileged that the other boy had entrusted him with this information, but matters of the heart was not something that the lazy genius wanted to dabble into.

"Shikamaru, did you..." Sasuke stopped, hesitant. Shikamaru wondered if this was what the rest of Team 7 saw in him, this softer side to his arrogance. The way Sasuke looked at him now, eyes painfully guarded, vulnerability dancing across his expression. 

Shikamaru sighed, not bothering to reply. They lay there in silence. The clouds passed over, the sun once again shone over them.

* * *

 

It had started when Sasuke had fallen asleep after training. Shikamaru had found him, early in the morning, curled up where he usually watched the clouds. It had been too troublesome to move Sasuke away, so Shikamaru had lain down next to him, listening to his quiet exhales.

He remembered the moment when the Uchiha woke, the faltered breath, the sleepy mumble, then the silence. Sasuke didn't leave and they lay on the grass quietly together, watching the clouds pass them by.

After an hour, Sasuke had brushed the grass out of his inky hair and walked away without looking back. It had become a sort of ritual for Shikamaru to find Sasuke here once in a while. Shikamaru found it bothersome that he enjoyed the warm body next to him, the pale hand that reached out to trace the shapes in the sky. It complicated things and Shikamaru wished everything could be simpler. The company wasn't worth the hassle.

* * *

 

The chunnin exams were tomorrow.  The hilltop buzzed with the humming of the crickets. They were both here again. (Of course). It was a sort of truce, to hold the silence, Sasuke the one to who tried break through it. (Of course.)

"What does it feel like to be in love with someone?"

The speaker didn't look at the other boy, and Shikamaru sighed resignedly. Sasuke blinked once, pretending that he had never said anything. He shifted uneasily on his back, Shikamaru steadfastly ignoring him. But it was too late. The silence that remained was stilted and uncomfortable, the murmur of the crickets grating.

After several minutes, Sasuke fidgeted again, unable to settle down, agitated. He was restless, he couldn't lay still. Shikamaru felt the movement at his side, and he found it hard to turn away. The clouds were blurring together, the sun was beginning to set, a light yellow. It was hazy around them and the air was heavy, thick with implications, stifling the both of them.

This exam meant the world to Sasuke, yet for Shikamaru... well, he could always retake it. He didn't have the same complex about failure that the Uchiha had. Sasuke plucked a dandelion from the ground and twirled it in his fingers. Something ached in the both of them, both holding their breaths. Shikamaru had always known how fragile Sasuke was.

Finally, he gave up. Sitting up and pulling his legs towards him, he looked down on the Uchiha's pale face. His dark eyes were open and stared back. Huffing slightly, Shikamaru shook his head, finding the whole business too much of a nuisance to be involved in. He tugged the ends of his ponytail, and mumbled, "You shouldn't doubt how you feel. You can't fake a feeling."

Having said that, he rolled back on to the grass, folding his arms behind his head and stretching lazily. The silence resumed. Shikamaru felt his eyes lids begin to dip down, the waves of sleepiness washed over him. He peeked lazily through the curtain of his eyelashes and the sun was slowly turning a burning maroon, sinking down the sky. 

* * *

 

Sasuke's bandages blended in well with his skin but it was too white for the green grass. Sasuke was too pale for the green grass, blue black rings heavy under his eyes. His cheeks were hollowed and Shikamaru felt gutted looking at him, looking at his hard and flat eyes. Sasuke didn't lie on the grass with the other shinobi, pulling his knees to his chest, huddling, shivering even under the bright sun.

Shikamaru heard the grass being ripped up from beside him, turning his head to watch the shattered boy pulverise the tender shoots in his hand.

Shikamaru reached out a hand, trying to comfort the Uchiha but Sasuke flinched away like it burned. The lazy genius sat up, eyes roving the other boy's face. He knew what had happened. The youngest Uchiha had failed to take down the murderer of his clan, his older brother - Itachi. They knew what this meant - failure. Failure had always been unacceptable for the Uchiha pride.

Shikamaru sighed, knowing that the other boy was thinking about red eyes, dark hair and tear troughs carved into a pale face, "Just give it time. You'll have your opportunity." 

Frustration rolled over the Uchiha, his expression dark like thunder.

"But what if you aren't enough? What if you'll never be good enough?" Sasuke spat out bitterly, his hands clenching into fists. He had come out of the hospital recently, and the news of his fight with Naruto had spread like wildfire through the village. 

Team 7 wasn't talking. Shikamaru had seen Sakura crying to Ino, her green eyes swollen and red. Her two teammates had tried to kill each other if Kakashi hadn't been there...... would they have been able to stop in time or would Sakura have been caught in the crossfire?

He didn't know what to say. The two boys looked at each other, Shikamaru tried to convey how he felt through his eyes, but Sasuke seemed blind to it. This was where the road forked, this was where they diverged.

"Forget it." Sasuke bit out. He got up, his whole body tense and angry. Throwing Shikamaru one last look, he stalked off, his feet crushing the grass beneath. Shikamaru scratched the back of his head in irritation. The Uchihas were such a pain to deal with. 

* * *

 

The next time he had this thought, he had just come out of the hospital. Temari was by his side, supporting him as he hobbled along. 

They sat down on the grass, leaning their heads together. He looked at her. She looked at him. A wry smile curved over his face, her company wasn't better nor worse nor the same.

She stared back at him with her teal eyes. Temari was exotic in Konoha with her sandy hair and iron fan, she reeled Shikamaru in, a fish caught by the hook, but in a different way to Uchiha Sasuke. Perhaps that was why he had tried so hard to bring Sasuke back from the brink of no return, for there to be someone to sit next to him on the hilltop. He remembered watching time ticking with clouds floating by, dark hair on vibrant grass, and a strange gentleness instead of swirling red eyes.

Was that why Naruto would give up his life for the other boy?

Shikamaru sighed and let his head slump onto Temari's lap, feeling her nimble fingers toy with his hair. Closing his eyes, he breathed in a scent uniquely Temari's and felt the sun burn brightly on his face. Who would be with him after Temari returned to Suna, who would lie here and spend lazy afternoons watching the clouds?

Not Sasuke.

* * *

 

"If I told you I was in love with you, how would you react?" Shikamaru asked Uchiha Sasuke dryly. 

"Shikamaru!" The blond next to the Uchiha leapt up, scandalised. He stormed over, brow furrowed. Naruto brandished his finger at the nonchalantly slouching chunnin, the said chunnin raised his eyebrows and shrugged. Naruto gaped like a fish at his reaction for a second before turning to his dark haired boyfriend, "Sasuke! Did you hear what Shika said?"

The pale man shrugged. He was sitting out in the sun, his dark hair thick and glossy. Shikamaru was under a tree, leaning against the tree trunk. The sun drew patterns through the leaves, Shikamaru's face was speckled with patches of shadow, a smile curling the side of his mouth.

Naruto pouted at the smirk that quirked Sasuke's mouth, turning to glare at Shikamaru, "Back off! It's bad enough I have to fight off all his fan girls!"

Sasuke drawled, "First, you wouldn't be saying that to me. Second, if you told Temari you were in love with her, she would probably tell you she already knows." 

The hero of the Fourth Shinobi World War swung his head back and forth between the two men. Shikamaru dipped his head in acknowledgement, stretching against the tree. Naruto's face was a picture of confusion, "I don't understand."

"You rarely understand, dobe."

"Hey!"

"Shut up, dobe." Sasuke complained, reaching back and tugging Naruto towards him. Naruto yelped as a pair of warm arms wrapped around him, Sasuke pulling him closer.

"Don't tell me to shut up, teme!" Naruto twisted towards the raven shinobi, yanking the front of his bangs childishly. 

Sasuke smirked softly, eyes gentle. "Idiot." 

He leaned in and pecked Naruto lightly on the lips. Naruto's mouth shut up an audible clunk, his eyes slightly glazed when Sasuke pulled back, his head still tilting towards the other man's warmth. 

"You make my teeth rot." Shikamaru drawled, without any bite. 

Naruto, who was just about to dive into another kiss, sent him a dirty glare. "Well, you didn't have to proposition my boyfriend!"

"I'm surprised you know such a big word." His boyfriend muttered, grabbing the blond's collar and placing a kiss on his cheek. 

Naruto swung around about to retort when pink lips covered his. "Mmm, Sasuke..."

One of his tanned hands reached out to cup Sasuke's face, the other pulling Sasuke closer, slipping under his shirt, enjoying the smooth skin under his finger tips. Sasuke leant further into him, his dark eyes fluttering closed, and gently bit Naruto's lower lip, his tongue invading the other's mouth, shuddering as warm hands ran down his spine.

Shikamaru cleared his throat loudly. The two broke apart, Naruto rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, his face flushed. Sasuke's cheeks a light pink even as he tried to act unaffected.

"I wish kissing Temari would stop her nagging." Shikamaru remarked.

Naruto's expression was turning from pleasantly dreamy to bewildered, "What?"

Sasuke replied blandly, patting Naruto on the head, "Yes, he does have a very short attention span."

The red crept up the soon-to-be Hokage's neck, spreading across his face until he resembled a large ripe tomato.

"Teme!"

Later, when Temari's meeting ended, Shikamaru wrapped a lazy arm around her, as she slumped on the grass, face blotchy and panting. Her breathing began to slow and she turned to him, eyebrows raised, "Why do Naruto and Sasuke both have grass in their hair?"

Luckily both men didn't hear her. Bright green speckled the black and yellow, the three colours merging together, all muted by the glow of the red sun. Shikamaru shook his head wearily, as she smacked his head for ignoring her. The sun was setting magnificently, throwing streaks of wild purple and red on to the hilltop. The couple in front of them were curled together, entwined, outlined against the rays of streaming colour. 

Shikamaru couldn't tell where one started and the other ended.

From under the tree, he could feel how soft and warm Temari was by his side. As the sun disappeared over the horizon, the pale glow of the moon began to emerge. They watched Naruto and Sasuke exchange a sweet kiss in front of them, Naruto squeezing Sasuke's hand.

Maybe having company was worth the hassle. Even if Uchihas were very troublesome.


End file.
